Pomelo
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2015
- Messages
- 804
TLDR: I love how much of a playful statement these earrings are, but can see why they’re not for everyone due to the weight and noise the motifs make. If iridescence matters to you, consider seeing them in store first (if there is stock) as my pair are not particularly iridescent.
There are very few pictures and reviews of the 4-motif Magic Alhambra earrings online, so I thought I'd go into depth about them here.
The story
Back in summer 2023, I purchased a WG onyx pave 5-motif bracelet that was absolutely stunning but I knew I wouldn't wear it enough, so I tried to return it (post here). However, the return was met with difficulty as VCA claimed there were signs of usage on the bracelet but couldn’t provide me with any photos or evidence.
In the end, I contacted head office with a very proper email and evidence from my side, but they would only allow store credit. To be fair, there are worse places than VCA to have store credit, so I didn’t push it further.
And so the question became, what do I want to do with this store credit?
As I try to have only one item per category and no duplicates (there are definitely duplicates though, sigh), I checked against my spreadsheet and one piece I am missing is “large, fancy chandelier earrings”. I’m an earrings girl at heart and love a good statement earring!
I’d tried on many diamond chandelier earrings in the past as well as VCA 3-motifs, but the diamond chandeliers didn’t have a strong design element and I found the 3-motifs too elegant for me (the pave 3-motifs are breathtaking though).
However, the MOP 4-motifs are large, fancy, within budget and an elusive animal. There aren’t many mod shots of these in the wild and reviews were mixed, with the main cons being (1) they’re heavy and therefore uncomfortable, and (2) they make jingly jangly noises. Plus, they were made to order only so it wasn’t possible to try on first.
Knowing and trusting that the finished product would be beautiful, I took the leap and placed an order. The estimated wait time was 1-3 months and they arrived in just under four weeks. Anecdotally, I also enquired about the Magic hammered single stud earrings - wait time on these would’ve been up to 1 year.
At the time of placing the order, I requested a strongly iridescent MOP with a preference for blues/greens rather than pink tones. The SA said they can’t take preferences into account, only that he was sure I’d be happy with the finished product.
The review
Design: the asymmetry to the design gives it a playfulness - this is why I personally prefer this over the three motif which are more classic and elegant. Note that the top and third motif are a “small” Magic size at 20mm (which is the size of the Magic stud earrings) and the bottom motif is a “large” Magic size at 26mm (which is the size of the Magic long pendant). The smallest motif is the standard Vintage size at 15mm. Comparison photo with my Sweet and Vintage onyx motifs below.
There is a difference between the left and right earring - they are mirror copies of each other, and therefore the design does look better the right way round, but isn’t too noticeable if you wear them the wrong way (as I did the first time - whoops).
Materials: maybe my eyes have been spoiled by the beauties I’ve seen on PS, but the iridescence is not amazing on these MOP. I know I shouldn’t expect MOP to perform like GMOP but I was hoping for stronger colour play on the earrings. However, I think this is a detail that 99% won’t notice and I don’t mind enough to kick up a fuss to replace the MOP motifs. Comparison with my iridescent Hermes MOP watch dial below.
Weight / comfort: these puppies aren’t light at 38g (19g each), although they’re not as heavy as some of the diamond chandeliers I’ve tried on. For context, the VCA Vintage onyx single motif studs are ~7g (3.5g each) and the VCA 3-motif MOP/onyx/GMOP are ~34g (17g per ear) - note these weights were found online as I don't own either of these.
For me, this weight is fine for occasion wear. The longest I’ve worn them was 4-5 hours and whilst I can definitely feel the weight, my ears didn’t experience much discomfort.
The standard VCA earring post fits me well so no adjustment needed on that front. The post can be screwed into two positions - I wear mine in the higher setting ie lower post hole.
Noise: the motifs clink against each other with movement. It’s not loud, but noticeable at first, and then it starts blending into the background. Someone on the other forum described these as a wind chime sound and I agree - to me, they actually sound rather melodic and beautiful as opposed to annoying or distracting (a friend at dinner complimented the sound too), but I made the mistake of wearing them to a classical music concert where I spent two hours trying to keep my head as still as possible...!
Styling (for me): as these are MOP + YG, they don’t feel too formal - I wore these to a diner for lunch and didn’t feel too dressed up for the occasion.
I tend to keep the neckline simple with either a small necklace or no necklace at all. I do wear them with my onyx Alhambra ring, as there is enough distance between the ears and hands for it not to be too matchy-matchy.
Cost per wear: hah! Whilst CPW is an important metric for me, I knew the CPW would be low. Nevertheless, I like how these can be worn both casually and formally, and they are certainly high impact! I’ve made peace that these do poorly on CPW but rank highly on enjoyment, and I find myself reaching for these every time I feel even *slightly* fancy.
I’m also hoping that, short of any head banging, the clinking won’t abrade the motifs too much, especially since they aren’t daily wear earrings.
Overall, they’re an immensely fun pair of statement earrings that can be worn on many occasions (just not when you need to be very quiet like a classical music concert!). Whilst I’m a little disappointed by the iridescence of the MOP on my particular pair, they’re earrings so I’m not the one who sees this detail when they’re being worn (hah!).
There are very few pictures and reviews of the 4-motif Magic Alhambra earrings online, so I thought I'd go into depth about them here.
The story
Back in summer 2023, I purchased a WG onyx pave 5-motif bracelet that was absolutely stunning but I knew I wouldn't wear it enough, so I tried to return it (post here). However, the return was met with difficulty as VCA claimed there were signs of usage on the bracelet but couldn’t provide me with any photos or evidence.
In the end, I contacted head office with a very proper email and evidence from my side, but they would only allow store credit. To be fair, there are worse places than VCA to have store credit, so I didn’t push it further.
And so the question became, what do I want to do with this store credit?
As I try to have only one item per category and no duplicates (there are definitely duplicates though, sigh), I checked against my spreadsheet and one piece I am missing is “large, fancy chandelier earrings”. I’m an earrings girl at heart and love a good statement earring!
I’d tried on many diamond chandelier earrings in the past as well as VCA 3-motifs, but the diamond chandeliers didn’t have a strong design element and I found the 3-motifs too elegant for me (the pave 3-motifs are breathtaking though).
However, the MOP 4-motifs are large, fancy, within budget and an elusive animal. There aren’t many mod shots of these in the wild and reviews were mixed, with the main cons being (1) they’re heavy and therefore uncomfortable, and (2) they make jingly jangly noises. Plus, they were made to order only so it wasn’t possible to try on first.
Knowing and trusting that the finished product would be beautiful, I took the leap and placed an order. The estimated wait time was 1-3 months and they arrived in just under four weeks. Anecdotally, I also enquired about the Magic hammered single stud earrings - wait time on these would’ve been up to 1 year.
At the time of placing the order, I requested a strongly iridescent MOP with a preference for blues/greens rather than pink tones. The SA said they can’t take preferences into account, only that he was sure I’d be happy with the finished product.
The review
Design: the asymmetry to the design gives it a playfulness - this is why I personally prefer this over the three motif which are more classic and elegant. Note that the top and third motif are a “small” Magic size at 20mm (which is the size of the Magic stud earrings) and the bottom motif is a “large” Magic size at 26mm (which is the size of the Magic long pendant). The smallest motif is the standard Vintage size at 15mm. Comparison photo with my Sweet and Vintage onyx motifs below.
There is a difference between the left and right earring - they are mirror copies of each other, and therefore the design does look better the right way round, but isn’t too noticeable if you wear them the wrong way (as I did the first time - whoops).
Materials: maybe my eyes have been spoiled by the beauties I’ve seen on PS, but the iridescence is not amazing on these MOP. I know I shouldn’t expect MOP to perform like GMOP but I was hoping for stronger colour play on the earrings. However, I think this is a detail that 99% won’t notice and I don’t mind enough to kick up a fuss to replace the MOP motifs. Comparison with my iridescent Hermes MOP watch dial below.
Weight / comfort: these puppies aren’t light at 38g (19g each), although they’re not as heavy as some of the diamond chandeliers I’ve tried on. For context, the VCA Vintage onyx single motif studs are ~7g (3.5g each) and the VCA 3-motif MOP/onyx/GMOP are ~34g (17g per ear) - note these weights were found online as I don't own either of these.
For me, this weight is fine for occasion wear. The longest I’ve worn them was 4-5 hours and whilst I can definitely feel the weight, my ears didn’t experience much discomfort.
The standard VCA earring post fits me well so no adjustment needed on that front. The post can be screwed into two positions - I wear mine in the higher setting ie lower post hole.
Noise: the motifs clink against each other with movement. It’s not loud, but noticeable at first, and then it starts blending into the background. Someone on the other forum described these as a wind chime sound and I agree - to me, they actually sound rather melodic and beautiful as opposed to annoying or distracting (a friend at dinner complimented the sound too), but I made the mistake of wearing them to a classical music concert where I spent two hours trying to keep my head as still as possible...!
Styling (for me): as these are MOP + YG, they don’t feel too formal - I wore these to a diner for lunch and didn’t feel too dressed up for the occasion.
I tend to keep the neckline simple with either a small necklace or no necklace at all. I do wear them with my onyx Alhambra ring, as there is enough distance between the ears and hands for it not to be too matchy-matchy.
Cost per wear: hah! Whilst CPW is an important metric for me, I knew the CPW would be low. Nevertheless, I like how these can be worn both casually and formally, and they are certainly high impact! I’ve made peace that these do poorly on CPW but rank highly on enjoyment, and I find myself reaching for these every time I feel even *slightly* fancy.
I’m also hoping that, short of any head banging, the clinking won’t abrade the motifs too much, especially since they aren’t daily wear earrings.
Overall, they’re an immensely fun pair of statement earrings that can be worn on many occasions (just not when you need to be very quiet like a classical music concert!). Whilst I’m a little disappointed by the iridescence of the MOP on my particular pair, they’re earrings so I’m not the one who sees this detail when they’re being worn (hah!).
And I love that you wear them with all your other earrings - makes for such fun and flirty drama 
). Please forgive my ignorance - I’m curious to know whether in the pearl world, uniform whiteness is valued and how does iridescence play into that (as I realise MOP doesn’t have luster/that metallic factor)?
300x240.png)